How Embarassing!
by Anakin T Skywalker
Summary: Anakin's got a crush on Padme and he does some pretty funny things!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the inhabitants therein. I am not making any money off this, so please don't sue me.**

This is my first fanfic, really just to test the system, but if you want more chapters let me know and I'll see what I can come up with. These are humorous little segments of "what the movies didn't show you."

Anakin and Obi-wan were back in the training room, getting in some saber practice after their long journey back from Ansion. Their Council briefing had, in Anakin's eyes, been long and boring, but the physical activity helped work out some of the tension. Obi-wan had just won yet another practice duel when a younger Padawan entered the room.

"Knight Kenobi, the Council has requested the presence of you and your Padawan in the chamber as soon as possible."

"Tell them we'll be there within a half an hour," instructed Obi-wan.

"Weren't we just in there?" groaned Anakin after the Padawan had left. "Can't they live without us for twenty minutes at a time?"

Obi-wan wasn't sure whether to scold his Padawan for his poor attitude or laugh; truly, he himself was mildly annoyed with this second summoning. He chose a middle ground: teasing Anakin.

"What have you managed to do in twenty minutes that has them upset with us?" he accused smilingly.

"Why is it always my fault?" Anakin cried melodramatically, turning a supplicating gaze to the ceiling. He then flashed a thoroughly saucy gaze at his Master and shot back, "Maybe it's you who's in trouble this time, and they just want me along to make sure you don't blame it on me."

"Oh, go on!" Obi-wan exclaimed in mock frustration. He'd gotten a smile our of Anakin, and that had been his goal. "Go and get cleaned up. I'll stop by your room in thirty minutes to get you." They each went off to their rooms to wash and change into fresh robes.

Anakin was ready in fifteen minutes, so he flipped on the HoloNet until Obi-wan got there. He was stunned at what he saw. Footage of a ship which he recognized as belonging to Padmé Amidala shimmered in ghostly blue. The ship had just come into the landing pad when it mysteriously exploded, obviously the victim of an attack of some sort. The former Queen of Naboo, now a Senator, had been coming to Coruscant to vote on the controversial Military Creation Act, and traffic cams had captured the episode for all to see. Anakin hid his eyes in his hands; no one could have survived that! He couldn't believe she was gone – just like that! He desperately wished he had been able to see her again; but that might have made things worse…

…His ear suddenly caught the sound of her voice from the holoreceiver. At first he though it was some sort of tribute to her, but when she finished, the reporter came back on.

"The Senator's speech was made all the more dramatic by the fact that she arrived just after the announcement of her presumed death. It was timed so well it almost seems like the whole incident might have been planned…"

Anakin tuned out the reporter again; the holocam was panning the crowd of Senators, and he was hoping to catch a glimpse of her. "Presumed death" meant she must not be dead after all!

He didn't even hear Obi-wan's knock on the door. "Anakin?" When that failed to elicit a response, Obi-wan flung open the door and entered the room. "Anakin! Let's go and get this over with!"

"Did you see?" Anakin asked excitedly, oblivious to Obi-wan's command. "Her ship got blown up on the landing platform and they thought she was dead, and then she showed up and made a speech to the Senate!"

Obi-wan was thoroughly confused. "What? Who got blown up?"

"Senator Amidala!" Anakin was still searching the screen for her, but the reporter was reviewing the different factions in the Senate, the camera highlighting each section as she spoke of it.

Obi-wan checked his chrono anxiously. "Well, we'll worry about that later. Right now, we are supposed to be in the Council chamber! Come on!"

"I'm coming," Anakin replied, his voice distant, shuffling slowly away from the holoprojector without taking his eyes off it; he was still hoping for a glimpse of the beautiful Senator who had been his friend when he was a child.

"Hurry!"

Anakin scowled and practically ran across the room, all while still glancing over his shoulder –

-- and smacked solidly into the door that Obi-wan had allowed to swing shut after he entered the room.

"Ow!" he yelped in surprise and pain, rubbing his head and staring with wide eyes at the offending door.

Obi-wan stared at him with curious amusement and said drily, "Anakin, I believe it's traditional to open doors before going through them."

Anakin scowled again and flung the door open with far greater force than was necessary, then huffily marched through it, nursing his wounded pride. Obi-wan followed, shaking his head.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Star Wars or anything else from a galaxy far, far away.**

Obi-wan caught up with Anakin, but they didn't say a word as they hurried to the Council chamber. Obi-wan could feel Anakin's anger at being made fun of already dissipating, however, and he smiled, thinking that perhaps the boy was finally beginning to learn some semblance of emotional control.

In reality, Anakin was simply completely preoccupied with Padmé; there was no room left in his mind for hurt feelings or irritation. He was concentrated so hard on the way he remembered her lovely face that he saw only her face in his mind's eye. It was because of this that he neglected to use his physical eyes as he and Obi-wan ascended the stairs into the Council chamber.

_Whoosh!_ Anakin's foot completely missed the next step, causing him to lose his balance and crash onto the steps, banging both knees and his elbow. He cringed as he felt the tingling pain, and cringed more when Obi-wan chided,

"You know, Anakin, these steps were here when we were here an hour ago. One would think you would still be able to successfully navigate them."

Anakin groaned inwardly as he rose, rearranged his robes, and continued his ascent – this time with his eyes focused on where he was going.

Anakin stood in the Council chamber, muscles tensing and ears ringing with the thrill of what he had just heard. He and Obi-wan had been assigned to guard Senator Amidala from any further attacks – which meant he was finally going to get to see her again!

Then he realized that also meant that _she_ would get to see_ him._ Doubts immediately assailed him. Would she recognize him? Would she be the same as he remembered her? What if being a Senator gone to her head and she now was stuck up? What if she or he or both of them had changed so much that she just didn't like him anymore?

As childish as he knew it sounded, the worries filled his mind, clouding it so that no other part of his brain seemed to be able to function well. It was only because his eyes registered Obi-wan's bow that he realized they had been dismissed. He quickly added his own bow, then turned to follow his Master. Somewhere between turning and stepping forward, his rebellious feet escaped his brain's temporarily feeble control over them and they twisted around each other.

_Kablam!_ Anakin fell flat on his face in front of the entire Jedi Council! Mortified, he rose to his feet and dusted himself off, knowing that every Council member was secretly laughing at him.

Obi-wan looked at him in dismay, and groaned, "And we put a lightsaber in your hands?" He grabbed Anakin's arm and walked him out of the room, accompanied by the laughter of nearly a dozen Jedi Masters.

They took a shuttle to the Senate apartment complex that very afternoon; the sun was just beginning to set as they came in sight of their destination. Anakin kept trying to adjust his position so he could see the building, trying to guess which one of its many windows belonged to the Senator. The activity helped calm his nerves, until he realized that the closer they got to the building, the sooner he would see Padmé again! Then his jitters came back in full force. He strained to stare out the opposite window, craning his neck to see just how close they were to the massive structure. He leaned too far; suddenly, he seemed hurtling through the air upside-down, until he landed with a _thud!_ on the floor of the shuttle, his feet pointing toward the ceiling. Obi-wan didn't say a word; he simply helped Anakin up from the floor, plopped him back in his seat, and placed a hand on Anakin's forehead in concern that was only partially fabricated.

"No, I'm not sick," Anakin growled, yet another scowl gathering on his features.

Obi-wan just raised an eyebrow.

When the shuttle landed, Obi-wan strode out, graceful and confident.

Anakin, with his jumbled nerves and uncooperative feet, tripped over a large chunk of air and went sprawling – again. As he picked himself up off the landing platform, Obi-wan came to his side.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, beginning to sound genuinely concerned. "I've never seen you this awkward before. You crashed into the door in your room, fell up the stairs to the Council chamber, tripped over your own feet on the way _out_ of the Council chamber, fell from the chair on the shuttle, and now this!"

Anakin blushed with embarrassment. Did Obi-wan have to announce to all of Coruscant that his Padawan was as clumsy as a drunken bantha?

"I don't know why this keeps happening," he said out loud, irritation ringing through his voice.

"Perhaps you're growing again," remarked Obi-wan, a little more sympathetically. Together, they approached the door to the building.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I still do not own any of Star Wars. Don't sue me, I have so little money it would cost more to take me to court than you would be able to get out of me.**

Anakin had somehow miraculously avoided tripping over himself in Padmé's presence – not that he'd spent a great deal of time with her. He did feel rather awkward and ungainly in her presence, but he savored her presence nevertheless. Even in her anger she was beautiful, he decided as he watched her pack her things for the journey off Coruscant. She certainly was not happy about having to leave before the vote on the Military Creation Act. He could see it in her frown, in the hurried, exaggerated way she walked, in the way she slammed the door shut every time she entered or left the room. Now all the doors were shut, and he and she were alone in the room together. She struggled with the zipper on her bulging suitcase.

"I… hate… this… thing!" she growled, breaking the silence that had reigned between them since she had asked him to "stop looking at her like that."

"Why are you taking all of that along?" he blurted out, before it occurred to him that the question might possibly be considered rude.

She sent a fiery glare his direction. "Because I have to!"

Anakin retreated into the corner but continued to watch her struggle. Finally she turned toward him.

"Don't you have anything better to do that watch me try to zip my suitcase?" she demanded. When he remained silent, she cracked a lopsided grin. "You could at least come over here and help me!"

Anakin walked over to assist her. "How may I be of service, Milady?" he said with a flourish.

"Sit on this!" she responded with an impish grin.

Anakin was perplexed. "What?"

"Sit on it. Your weight will hold the top down so I can zip it."

Anakin sighed, still a little puzzled, but complied. "Anything for you, Milady."

Suitcase successfully subjugated, Padmé slipped back into more professional behavior. "Thank you, Anakin. Now, I have just a few things left to prepare, so perhaps you should just wait out in the lounge…"

Anakin didn't want to. He wanted to stay and be mesmerized by her beautiful face. However, he also didn't want to be annoying, so he headed for the door, dramatically calling out "As you wish, Milady!" He flung the door open, turning as he did so for one more glance at her gorgeous features. For some reason, she was frowning, and she suddenly exclaimed, "Anakin! Where are you going! That's the –"

_Kawhumph!_ Anakin tripped over several rather unstable objects under his feet and fell forward through a mass of fabric to hit the back wall of what he belatedly realized must be Padmé's closet. His feet, trying in vain to find a piece of floor that was not covered by what he imagined must be shoes, slid out from under him, and he found himself lying on his back on the floor, his feet again in the air, most of him still inside the half-empty closet. A scarf fluttered down from somewhere on high and draped itself neatly across his face. Anakin extricated his hand from the shoe it had been shoved inside when he fell and pulled the scarf free of his mouth.

"How do you walk in these things?"

Padmé shot back, "I don't know, but I sure do it better than you. He tried to glare at her, but it wasn't easy when he was upside-down. Padmé suddenly exploded into giggles.

"I'm glad you find this so amusing," he said sarcastically.

Padmé managed to stop laughing long enough to declare, "Anakin, you have just made that into a walk-in closet!"

He got the joke and, after a moment, joined in her laughter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars any more than I did in the last chapter or the one before that or the one before that.**

Anakin and Padmé walked trough the crowded spaceport toward the freighter on which they would be transported off Coruscant, with Artoo rolling along close beside them. It was slow work, getting through the masses of people – everyone seemed to want to get off Coruscant these days. Anakin hoped he and Padmé were blending in and that nothing would happen to call attention to them.

They reached the boarding ramp and entered the ship, which was already swarming with passengers and was taking more on. It was apparent that the ship had initially been intended for cargo only; the owners must have seen that transporting humans was becoming a much more profitable endeavor. Anakin personally thought Padmé deserved something better, but he understood the need to hide her aboard a large ship with many passengers and loose security.

The crowd seemed to get thicker as they followed the directions they'd been given to the living area; when they finally reached it, they could see that it had originally been a hold for small cargo. Storage cubbies lined the short walls, and fold-down bunks which had obviously been added as an afterthought covered the long walls. The door was low, and Anakin had to duck a little to get through.

He stepped into the room and was horrified when, simultaneously with putting down his foot, he heard a little shriek of pain from Padmé. He'd stepped on her foot! Angry with himself for hurting her, he hurriedly picked his foot back up again and put it down somewhere else – on top of another foot, whose owner gave him and indignant scolding in some alien language.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, cringing. He picked his foot up once again, and in setting it down smushed yet another passenger's toes.

There was no where he could set his foot down! He reeled back and forth, coming down on a few more feet before finally toppling and hitting the floor. So much for not attracting attention. Trying to hide his embarrassment and ignoring his grumbling fellow passengers, he looked up at Padmé, who was over her pain and trying not to laugh, and asked, "Are you all right?"

Being asked if she was alright by someone lying on the floor was too much for Padmé, and she was overcome by laughter. Anakin blushed bright red. What was the matter with him anyway? Why could he suddenly not manage to remain upright?

Once Padmé recovered from her giggle fit, she and Anakin proceeded into the room. Anakin lifted Padmé's suitcases and lugged them over to the wall of storage lockers. He searched until he found one whose locking system indicated that it was empty. It was just over his head, so Padmé would have difficulty reaching it, but all of the lower ones were taken. As he opened the door, Padmé came beside him, observing his efforts appreciatively. "Thank you, Anakin," she said with a smile, and Anakin stared into her soft brown eyes and until something – namely, the locker door – collided with his head. The corner of it was sharp.

"Ow!" he wailed, rubbing his throbbing temple, his face reddening from both the pain and from embarrassment. He supposed it served him right for not watching what his hands were doing.

"Oooh! That must've hurt! Are you all right?" Padmé's voice was sympathetic, but he could see that she was trying to suppress a smile.

"I'll be fine," he grunted. He picked up the suitcases and shoved them into the cubby, then shut the door and activated the old-fashioned coded lock. He memorized the code, but told it to Padmé as well in case he managed to forget it anyway. He rubbed the sore spot again, then stalked over to a bunk and lay down, nursing his wounded pride as well as his head. It wasn't long before he ws asleep.

Hours later, Anakin and Padmé sat at a small table, eating… whatever it was the kitchen crew were serving. Neither one of them was able to recognize it because it didn't really have a flavor that could identify it. Instead of focusing on the taste of the meal, they had been speaking of the rules of the Jedi Order, but that subject had taken a turn that Padmé found uncomfortable, so she changed the topic to the nightmare she had awakened Anakin from earlier. He spoke of his mother, how he missed her and didn't want to forget her. Padmé heard the sadness in his voice and decided to change the subject yet again, this time to Jar Jar Binks. She soon had Anakin smiling at her descriptions of the clumsy Gungan tripping over his Senatorial robes and of some of his speeches to the Senate. By then, they had finished their meal. Padmé rose gracefully from the table, Anakin watching her every moment. Even disguised as a refugee, she was beautiful and engaging and elegant and…

"Well, Anakin, are you coming?"

Anakin stood up from his own chair and gathered up his empty bowl, all without taking his eyes off her. He stepped away from the table, but his legs somehow tangled themselves in the legs of the chair and he fell to the floor, taking the chair down with him. His spoon clattered under another table, and he just barely managed to catch his bowl and keep it from shattering on the floor. Silence reigned in their immediate vicinity, as passengers at nearby tables gawked at him. Padmé also stared at him, startled, for a few seconds, then shook her head in mock despair.

"I can't take you anywhere, can I?" she said, pretending to be exasperated.

One or two people chuckled, and nearly all returned to their meals. Padmé reached down, an amused expression on her face, and took Anakin's bowl from him.

"Perhaps _I _should take this to the dish return," she said, and walked off, leaving Anakin to extricate himself from the chair. His face burned when he recalled that they had just gotten done talking about how clumsy Jar Jar was.

By the time the freighter landed in Theed, Anakin was very ready to get off it. There were just too many obstacles for him to navigate. Considering his awkwardness around Padmé, he had been extra careful while on board the ship and had thus far managed to avoid further mishap, but it was a bit draining to be on constant alert. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was time to disembark. He went over to the cubby where he had stored their things and opened it – carefully this time – and removed the luggage. As he and Padmé proceede toward the door, he turned his head to remark to her,

"I sure am glad to get off this ship."

She smiled, and he reveled in it, until her expression changed to one of concern.

"Anakin! Look out!" she cried. He turned around again and smacked his head hard on the low doorway that he'd forgotten to duck for.

"Owww! That hurt!" he wailed, glaring at any surrounding passengers who dared to laugh at him. "That's not funny!" That was specifically intended for Padmé, who was once again covering her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter. Anakin lowered his head in discouragement – and because he was making a second attempt to walk out the door. It just wasn't fair; here he was, trying to prove to her that he was really no longer a little boy, and all he could seem to do was make her laugh at him!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. In fact, it might be more appropriate to say Star Wars owns me…**

Sorry there was no new chapter yesterday… I was up till 1 in the morning doing homework. I appreciate the reviews that have come my way, though. I'm glad somebody out there likes this!

Anakin and Padmé hurried toward the palace, Padmé telling Anakin about her life as a politician. When they reached the palace and went inside, Anakin fell into step behind her. He'd not spent a great deal of time inside the palace as a young boy and he didn't remember his way around very well. He chose to follow Padmé, watching her dress swing as she walked gracefully down the corridors. He was enjoying just being in her presence- so much so that he failed to notice when she stopped and crashed into her, nearly bowling her over. Chagrined, he reached out to steady her and ended up losing his own balance and falling onto her. Then he really did knock her over.

Anakin glanced at Padmé as he stood up again. "I'm so sorry, Milady! Are you alright?" he apologized, offering his hand to help her back up.

Padmé was annoyed – or trying to be. She looked at his proffered hand dubiously. "Are you sure you're stable enough to help me up?" she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Anakin hung his head and dropped his hand, shame coloring his face for what seemed like the millionth time in the past few days.

Padmé regretted her put-down. "I never said I wasn't going to take it!" she protested, reaching for his hand again. "All I meant was that I might not be above pulling you back down!" she added with a slightly impish grin.

Anakin looked up and helped her to her feet, but didn't say a word. Awkward silence filled the air between the two of them. She'd hurt his feelings, and she knew it. She had only been trying to tease him, but he was apparently more sensitive then she had bargained on. She would have to be more careful in the future.

She had no idea how soon she'd get the chance.

They walked briskly away from the palace. Padmé was upset with Anakin for interrupting her and arguing with her about the best way to keep her safe – in front of the Queen and Naboo officials, no less!

Anakin was upset with Padmé for cutting him down, bringing up the fact that he was still only a Padawan learner and insisting on her own plans for her security – in front of the Queen and Naboo officials, no less! He didn't like being scolded in public – especially not by the beautiful Senator. He turned his head and snatched yet another look at her perfect face.

For the second time in the past several days, Anakin's feet found a set of stairs that his eyes did not. This time, he fell down them instead of up. Padmé ran to him, letting the suitcases he had dropped continue their slid down the steps.

Anakin groaned as he rolled at the bottom of the staircase. That one had hurt; he'd managed to protect his head, but he'd smacked his knees and elbows pretty good. He imagined he'd have several impressive bruises in a few hours.

This time, she offered him a hand.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, with genuine concern.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "I think I'm okay," he said. "I've got a few bruises, but I think I'll pull through." He gave her a weak, shy smile.

"Come on, then," she said. "I want you to see my house."

He followed obediently, keeping a careful eye out for any more staircases that might be lurking about.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: My name isn't George Lucas; therefore it should be obvious that I do not own Star Wars. I am not receiving any credits for this story, so don't sue me.**

Padmé led the way up the stairs into her home, Anakin following very carefully. Once was quite enough to be attacked by a staircase in one day. In the house, he smiled his way through introductions to her parents, feeling a little self-conscious. Padmé's mother Jobal informed them that they had arrived just in time for dinner and insisted they all sit down at the table. Anakin was amused when Jobal immediately told Padmé how worried they had all been about her. Jobal was so much the perfect example of a mother – kind, loving, and always worrying. He remembered his own mother being the same way.

Anakin was startled out of his reverie when he heard Padmé's sister Sola addressed him. "Do you know, Anakin, that you're the first boyfriend my sister's ever brought home?" Suddenly, he had to concentrate very hard to keep his fork in his fingers. Padmé's response both relieved and distressed him:

"He isn't my boyfriend! He's a Jedi assigned by the Senate to protect me!"

"A bodyguard?" asked Jobal. "They didn't tell us the situation was that serious!"

"It's not, Mom, I promise," countered Padmé.

Her father, Ruwee, however, was not convinced. "Is she in any danger?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid she is," Anakin replied. Then he felt Padmé grab his hand under the table and begin to squeeze it. Hard. Padmé's hand was amazingly soft – her nails were not. He was dazed by a mixture of intoxication at her touch and pain because her nails were digging into his hand. Still, he tried to reassure the worried couple.

"Don't worry about your daughter, though. I will protect her with my dead body."

Simultaneously he noticed that it had taken him far less time to say that than it should have and that everyone in the room – including Padmé, who had suddenly let go of his hand – was staring at him strangely.

Sola was the first to speak. "Oh, I do hope not," she said dryly, "that would be entirely too bad. Besides, isn't it easier to protect people when you yourself are alive?"

Anakin's mouth dropped open and his face blazed crimson. "Oh, pleases tell me I did not just say that."

"I would," said Sola, "but I don't tell lies."

"What I meant to say," said Anakin with a groan, "is that I would protect her with my life, and that if any harm came to her, it would be over my dead body!"

Suddenly, everyone except Anakin saw the funny side of it and began to laugh. Anakin just sat there, feeling stupid. Padmé's wonderful but disconcerting presence made him do and say the most awkward things!

He said very little during the remainder of the meal, too afraid he'd say something else stupid.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I often get stuck inside Star Wars, so how could I possibly own it?**

Awkward silence filled the sweet-scented Naboo air. Anakin and Padmé had just arrived at the lake retreat and had been enjoying the magnificent view, when suddenly, Anakin had been overcome by the young Senator's beauty, and the next thing they knew, they were kissing each other. Padmé had been the one who pulled away, saying, "No – I shouldn't have done that."

Anakin had apologized, but it had done nothing to clear the air between them. In truth, he wasn't at all sure that he really _was_ sorry for kissing her. In fact, he felt he might like to do it again!

He followed at a respectful distance behind the Senator as when she turned away from him and began walking along the railing once more. He reveled in the sight of her glorious, shiny brown hair hanging down her back. It was twisted into yet another elaborate hairstyle, but Anakin imagined how it would look free and unrestrained, flowing down her back like one of the waterfalls she so loved.

Anakin was startled from his pleasant thoughts by a loud clatter and found himself flung to the tiled floor of the balcony, victim of yet another inanimate assailant – this time a large flowerpot. In stumbling over it he had knocked it down, and it rolled dismally on its side, sprinkling dirt across the tiles, the flower it contained drooping toward the ground. Padmé turned at the sound to regard him, first with surprise and alarm, then with amusement.

"Walk much?" she teased cheerfully as she set the flowerpot back up, then helped Anakin to restore himself to a vertical position.

Anakin shook his head at his own clumsiness. He had been beginning to display some of the easy grace of a Jedi in his movements, but now with his preoccupation with Padmé, he seemed to have lost all coordination whatsoever.

Oh, well. At least the tension between them had eased.

Later that evening, Anakin sat on the couch in deep contemplation of what had happened between himself and Padmé out on the balcony that afternoon. He remembered their kiss, and pondered how to handle it. He was a Jedi, and attachment was forbidden him, but – stars she was gorgeous! She seemed to him to be at least as beautiful as an angel – if not more so.

He was startled out of his deep contemplation by an "angelic" voice – so startled, in fact, that he jumped several inches into the air and ended up sliding off the couch into an undignified heap on the floor.

This time, Padmé just stared at him.

"You scared me," he explained in a small voice.

Padmé raised an eyebrow. "Apparently so. I was going to suggest a walk down to the pier to watch the sunset. Will you come along?"

Anakin jumped up. "Of course. You could be attacked at any moment; I ought to be there to make sure you stay safe!"

So they walked down to the pier together. Surrounded by the twilight, her smooth skin seeming to glow with the fire from the sunset, Padmé appeared more lovely than ever before. Anakin turned around and walked backwards so he could see he better and talk to her. She could have her sunset; _he_ was watching _her. _As they walked further down the dock, he enjoyed the pure delight her face showed as she viewed the colors of the sunset. Then those glowing brown eyes were turned on him, and he was swept away in their gaze, leaving nothing but Padmé within his mind.

When her expression shifted to one of concern, then outright alarm, he began to worry. Before he could ask her what the trouble was, she cried,

"Anakin! Watch out! You're about to" –

Anakin didn't hear the splash he made as he fell into the lake; he was busy feeling the sudden falling sensation and the cold chill of the water closing over his head. He quickly bobbed back to the surface, and clutched at the edge of the dock before he could be dragged down again by his sodden robes. He'd become so engrossed in his enjoyment of the Senator's beauty that he'd walked backwards right off the edge of the pier.

Padmé gasped and asked if he was alright, but once she ascertained that he had not drowned she burst out laughing at him.

Anakin climbed slowly up onto the pier, hindered by his soggy clothing. He absolutely _had _to learn to watch where he was going.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I never have, do not presently, and never will own any portion of Star Wars.**

Note: the dinner scene in this chapter is _not_ the one shown at the lake retreat in the movie.

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Anakin truly could not comprehend why being around Padmé made him so uncoordinated. He supposed it was largely because she distracted him.

Suddenly he understood why the Jedi frowned upon such "distractions."

Not that he'd ever been one to care about what the Jedi frowned upon; more than once he'd gotten himself summoned before the Council for following some reckless impulse, totally disregarding the rules of the Jedi.

His thoughts abruptly dissolved into chaos as Padmé entered the room.

"How are you today, Anakin?" she asked, a teasing tone in her voice. "It was cold out last night. I hope you didn't catch a cold from your little impromptu swim!"

Anakin chuckled a little, though he was annoyed that she was making fun of him.

"It would be hard for you to defend me, if someone were to find us here, if you had a bad cold, now, wouldn't it?" she continued her teasing. "You could maybe cough on them…"

Anakin decided he'd been picked on enough. "If anyone comes here with the intent to harm you," he declared, "I will do _this,_ regardless of my state of health."

He whipped out his lightsaber, lightning fast, and brought it into a position raised high above his head, ready to strike down an imaginary enemy, when he realized that his lightsaber had somehow unaccountably left his hand.

Anakin stared in astonishment and horror as the weapon hurtled across the room and knocked over a vase of flowers. The vase, fortunately, was not of glass and did not shatter, but water and flowers were strewn across the floor.

Anakin couldn't believe it. He had stopped his hand in the ready position, but had lost his grip on his lightsaber; it had simply kept going. The lecture he knew he would have heard from his master if Obi-wan were here burned in his ears: "This weapon is your, life, Anakin. You must take care of it."

Once she saw that no damage had been done, Padmé roared with laughter.

"That's how you'd deal with someone attacking me? By throwing your lightsaber at a poor, innocent vase of flowers?"

"Hey, it's not my fault they wouldn't get out of the way!" he shot back, deciding to laugh about the situation as well.

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That evening, they had dinner together. Alone together. That had its advantages and its disadvantages; while Anakin didn't have to worry about staring too much at Padmé, he also had almost no choice but to look at her.

And when he gazed at her too long, he lost himself.

"Anakin, what's the matter? Why aren't you eating? Aren't you hungry?"

Still looking across the table at Padmé, he realized that the soup had been served, and he had already become too lost to notice.

Mechanically, without taking his eyes off her, he groped for his spoon, found the handle, and dipped it into the air next to his bowl. Eyes still riveted to her, he tried again – and again missed the bowl completely!

Padmé was, yet again, trying to keep from laughing out loud and hurting his feelings. He could see it in those deep brown eyes.

He set down the utensil and, with a shaky hand, reached for his glass of water and took a sip from it, all the while watching her expression. The glass was wet with condensation; he wiped his right hand on the napkin in his lap and reached again for his spoon with his left hand.

He was perplexed to see an even more amused expression cross Padmé's face. He dipped his spoon in his soup again, this time successfully reaching the bowl, and was about to raise it to his lips, when Padmé suddenly could no longer contain her mirth and burst into a fit of giggles. Anakin froze.

Padmé quickly regained her composure. "I'm sorry, Anakin, but it's just so – well – if you eat it that way, we're going to be here a very long time!" Another burst of merriment overcame her, and Anakin finally was able to look down at what he was doing.

His hand held a fork.

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Once Padmé had calmed herself down, they continued eating. Anakin concentrated harder on what he was doing, but his hands were shaking with nervousness. He felt awkward and clumsy and afraid that he'd do something else stupid. He desperately did not want her to see him as a gawky little boy, but it seemed that he had a choice between being distracted by her or being made nervous by her. Either option had equally disastrous results.

Anakin hid his shaky, suddenly uncoordinated hands in his lap, but in doing so, he accidentally knocked his napkin to the floor.

Not thinking clearly, he got out of his chair and crawled under the table to retrieve it.

"Anakin!" cried Padmé in astonishment. "What in the galaxy are you doing?"

"Dropped my napkin," he replied from the darkness under the table. He felt around for it; when he finally located it, he clenched it in his hand and stood up…

…cracking his head solidly on the table and rattling all of the dishes on top.

"Ow!" Anakin yelped, his voice muffled by the tablecloth. He gingerly crawled out from underneath the table and slowly stood up, rubbing his head.

Padmé was laughing so hard that her face was red and tears were running down her cheeks. Anakin did _not_ see what was so funny about the whole situation and, pouting a little, flopped back in his chair and threw his napkin on the table, then scooted his chair in until his chest hit the edge of the table. It rocked a bit again, giving all the dishes a second shaking. Anakin's water glass wobbled, and he reached out with a still-trembling hand to steady it. He succeeded only in knocking it completely over, pouring its contents over the edge of the table and onto the floor.

Padmé couldn't breathe.

Anakin decided he was quite finished eating and pushed his chair away, pouting like the child he was trying not to be.

After a few minutes, Padmé noticed his scowl and managed to gain a modicum of control. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she sighed, "You certainly are accident-prone, aren't you?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Do I own any part of Star Wars? Possession is forbidden to a Jedi. Enough said.**

Thank you for all the reviews! I really enjoy reading them! It feels so good to know that someone is reading my work and that they care enough to comment on it!

Warning: I will be finishing this story soon. I am running out of ideas as well as time before things start to get serious. I really don't want to have poor Anakin stumbling and falling down all the time when he's trying to deal with his mother's death; one guy can only take so much. Therefore, another chapter or two and I will be wrapping this one up. I have really enjoyed writing this, though, and plan to post other stories in the near future.

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The next morning after breakfast, Padmé suggested that they have a picnic lunch in a meadow not far away. When Anakin looked a little dubious, Padmé simply stated,

"I'm going, so you'll just have to come with me." She flashed him a smile that almost blinded him with its brilliance.

So there he stood, waiting by the door for her to be ready to leave. He was idly wondering why women always take so long to get ready for everything, when she finally walked into the room.

He decided it was his turn to tease _her _about something.

"Oh! You're back! You know, that dress is gorgeous, but I'm not sure it was worth the trip to the other side of the galaxy to pick it up!"

Padmé looked confused.

"Why, with all the time you took, I assumed you'd been at least that far away!" Anakin explained, leaning casually on the door.

That was a mistake.

His elbow connected with the handle, releasing the latch, and the door opened, sending Anakin tumbling head-over-heels onto the terrace beyond.

"Whoa – unh!" he yelled in surprise as he was dumped in a heap on the tiles he had come so close to kissing only a day or so earlier.

Padmé's laughter rang out from inside the house. His face burning, Anakin gathered himself up off the floor and walked back inside with as much dignity as he could muster.

"I'm flattered that you're so thrilled to have me back, but the acrobatics display was really a little over the top," quipped Padmé.

Anakin groaned to himself. He should have known better than to try to tease a politician.

Padmé started to hand him the picnic basket, but then changed her mind.

"Maybe I should carry this myself," she said impishly, still taunting him about his apparent clumsiness.

Anakin's face turned a brighter red and he looked away. He wasn't really hurt this time; he knew he deserved any sarcastic remarks that should come his way. He spent a great deal of the walk out to their picnic site berating himself for acting like such a clumsy idiot around her. What _was_ the matter with him, anyway?

Padmé's precaution with the picnic basket proved to be a good decision: the terrain they walked over had just changed to grassland when Anakin, who had been puzzling over the mystery of his Padmé-induced instability, discovered that he had fallen behind and rushed to catch up.

He caught his foot in a clump of grass and went flying, landing rather heavily flat on his stomach.

Upon hearing a _thud _accompanied by an "oof!", Padmé turned around and discovered her Jedi bodyguard sprawled on the ground again.

"Why, Anakin, whatever are you doing down there?" she asked mischievously.

"Uhhh…picking flowers?" he offered tentatively, deciding to make a joke out of the situation. He grabbed a fistful of whatever his hand happened to close around and pulled it up, roots and all, before presenting it to Padmé from his still-prone position. "For you, Milady."

Padmé took the handful of plants from him and examined them for a moment before exclaiming in mock confusion,

"Oh! How lovely! A nice bouquet of… grass and weeds…"

Anakin ducked his head down, hiding his face in the earth the ground he'd apparently become so fond of in recent days. And they both laughed.

Anakin discovered that it felt much better laughing with her than having her just laugh at him.

When he rose and they continued their journey, he suddenly didn't feel so awkward anymore.

He sped up until he caught up with her, then walked at her side the rest of the way to their picnic site.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: If you haven't figured out by now that I do not own an iota of Star Wars, either you are completely illiterate or, like me, disregard these disclaimers unless they look interesting because we already know what they say anyway. You will now pay the price for your lack of vision.**

Final chapter. (sniff, tear) I will miss writing this one, but I already have plans for at least one other story. Thank you, faithful readers and reviewers! Hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I have or more, and hope that some or all of you will read and enjoy my next story! (No, I'm not leaking the title because I have yet to pick one! Sorry!)

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Anakin thought he was over his awkward spell. There had been so much on his mind it the past days: the nightmares, his mother's death, his actions in the Tusken camp, Obi-wan's capture, Padmé's and his own capture, the beginning of the war, the loss of his arm.

He'd simply had no time for clumsiness -- or for the train of thought that tended to produce it in him.

Then, with Padmé's revelation of her love for him, his nervous awkwardness around her seemed to evaporate like the morning mist on Naboo. He finally felt as if he could trust his own feet again.

He was wrong.

He was walking along the veranda, waiting for her, when suddenly she emerged from the house.

Anakin stopped in his tracks, and his jaw dropped so low he could have swallowed any one of Naboo's moons.

She was _gorgeous._ Fabulously, richly, incredibly, brilliantly, astoundingly, drop-dead gorgeous.

He stared unabashedly.

Finally, he tried to walk toward her, but he couldn't make his feet move; they seemed attached to the tiles beneath them as if held in place by tractor beams.

His efforts to move them only resulted in his losing his balance and doing a brief but very complicated little dance to try to stay upright before stepping on the edge of his Jedi robe and falling to the ground.

An embarrassed red blush suffused his cheeks, but it faded quickly, replaced by the enormous grin that crossed Anakin's face as the truth dawned on him.

He was about to marry the woman he loved; and she was so beautiful, she literally knocked him off his feet!

He rose and walked to the railing, where Padmé and the Naboo holy man were waiting. He led them in their exchange of vows, and in the presence of two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala were married.

When the ceremony was complete, they shared a deep, tender, loving, passionate kiss, then turned to watch the sunset.

When the sun was almost gone, they turned and walked side by side, hand in hand toward the house. A wide, impish grin suddenly split Anakin's face, and, quick as thought, he stuck his foot out to trip Padmé –

-- so he could catch her in his arms! They stared adoringly into each other's eyes for a few moments.

Then they both laughed for pure joy, and, chased by the last fiery ray of the Naboo sun, Anakin carried his Angel into the house.


End file.
